A theory behind the large box sizes

[CopMike]

From Steve :

its a fair question to be sure. I've covered it before, but its good to get any questions out of the way for the new folk. the more people who know the answer the better.

The box sizes are a standard set now to improve palettization. What this means is that when we load a pallette onto a truck, the more full it is the better. We changed to a standard set because it allowed us to maximize our pallettes and what this has done is allowed us to significantly reduced the amount of trucks that hit the road. so while larger boxes may seem like a waste, they have significantly reduced the carbon foot print of the LEGO group (significantly).

This is why sometimes you'll get a set that seems small for the box. the set may have been 'just' too big for the next size down but since there's no in-between size (as this would screw up the whole system) it just has to go in the next size up.

now as for the trays. I remember how cool the stuff in the 80's and 90's were. one thing that you need to know though is that the LEGO Group didn't pay a whole lot of attention to what everything going into a box was actually costing them. This means that when we made this insanely nice boxes and didn't track super well the implecations of that, we actually were hurting ourselves badly. This is why we moved away from flip tops (for the most part, sometimes it's used as a marketing tool) and internal trays.

hope that helps you get a better understanding.

steve

[Klaus-Dieter]

Thank you very much for that information, Copmike!

That's very interesting to know since I would have bet that they often use much larger boxes because of the interest these boxes should take in the customers.

Nevertheless I think that this is still sometimes the case: e. g. only look at the 7749 Echo Base - the content and the box size are that much different that there surely would have been a smaller box already existing (e. g. the one of the Camper).

Klaus-Dieter

Edited July 20, 2009 by Klaus-Dieter

[CP5670]

That certainly clears up some things. However, I think he is only talking about changes during the last year or two. If you look over a longer period, the box sizes have always been more or less standardized, and that alone doesn't explain why the boxes are so much bigger today than they were, say, 20 years ago. I have a handful of oddly shaped boxes in my collection, but the vast majority fit into one of several standard sizes.

now as for the trays. I remember how cool the stuff in the 80's and 90's were. one thing that you need to know though is that the LEGO Group didn't pay a whole lot of attention to what everything going into a box was actually costing them. This means that when we made this insanely nice boxes and didn't track super well the implecations of that, we actually were hurting ourselves badly. This is why we moved away from flip tops (for the most part, sometimes it's used as a marketing tool) and internal trays.

I can certainly understand why they moved to a cheap box design. The only surprise is that it took them so long to change it. Although the boxes were actually a good example of TLG's "only the best is good enough" company philosophy of that period, in contrast to what things are like today.

Edited July 20, 2009 by CP5670

[Hmmm]

lil late for a reply(and by a lil late i mean 14 years late)but i would agree that its big to attract young kids. i have the lego technic ford f150 and the box was big, bigger than the actual set.